Japanese companies are moving to compensate customers affected by a series of cyberattacks that have disrupted online services and heightened concerns about economic stability.
GMO Internet Group, a major provider of online financial services, will compensate customers for losses resulting from unauthorised access following a cyberattack on its foreign exchange trading platform.
Chief Executive Officer Masatoshi Kumagai also announced that all customers would receive 5,000 yen ($32) as a goodwill payment, according to a blog post published on Sunday.
“The internet itself is now starting to break down,” said Kumagai.
Japan said on Friday it would establish a team to simulate AI-powered cyberattacks to identify vulnerabilities in technology systems, as organisations moved to address risks linked to flaws in the PHP programming language, which supports much of the internet.
Japanese companies are facing a growing wave of cyberattacks, with experts warning that artificial intelligence is helping criminals automate activities ranging from scanning software for vulnerabilities to developing phishing campaigns.
These capabilities are making cybercrime faster, cheaper and more difficult to detect.
“The internet is increasingly being transformed into a tool that malicious actors use to threaten and rob people,” said Kumagai.
Government and corporate websites in Japan, Europe and other regions went offline last week after the disclosure of critical vulnerabilities in the PHP programming language triggered millions of hacking attempts.
